Holland & Dillion of Franklin Co., VA
The following may or may not help someone fill in a small genealogical gap.
It is an excerpt from an "interview" by my cousin of my grandfather about 50 years ago; he was born in Franklin County, Virginia before the Civil War and was reminiscing about his early childhood:
"My Uncle Peter Holland (Pa's sister - Mrs. Divers grandmother) had many negroes: Terry, Alfred, Farz, Charles*, Wm*, Abe*, Jirden*, Silas, Tom*, Winnie the housemaid and cook, Clarie housemaid, Cyndy, Jane, Mary*, Catherine, Mandy. ( * are children of Winnie). Clarie mother of Cath., Silas, and Mandy.
"My cousin Mary married man named Dillion - her folks gave her a grown negro girl named Julie, who raised large negro family before they was freed.
"Freeing of slaves liked to a killed some families that had been working them so hard. Uncle Peter Holland was kind - said afterward he was glad they was freed because he got along as well without them
- he always clothed them well and fed them well.
"Negroes always went by last name of family they lived with. I've heard old Terry Holland say best time of his life was when he was a slave - always knew where his grub was coming from - when had to shift for himself it was hard. O course some masters was mean as the dickens. Julie was under a hard master.
"After freed - some owners hired. Uncle Peter hired Chas and Wm and some of the women for several years."
I have been looking for the names of my ggrandparents' brothers and sisters from that same era and thought if the above might help someone, that's great.
Contributed by: Ward P. Ferguson of the Virginia List
ward_ferguson@ compuserve.com
By way of: Susan Buckley